Visibility
by Aviantei
Summary: Transfer students entering at the new school year allows for the boy who can't be seen to come into contact with the girl who can't see. This contact invokes a change in how the people around them look at their surroundings. KurokoxOC
1. Chapter 01: Notice

**Visibility**

By: Aviantei

Chapter 01: Notice

* * *

Watanabe Youta leaned against the wall, the cold surface just barely making it through the fabric of his new uniform. It felt strange—he preferred the suit jacket of his old school much better than the gakuran—but he supposed he would get used to it. The teacher had disappeared into the classroom some time ago, saying to wait while she talked to the class. While it had only been a few minutes, it felt like much longer.

Impatiently, Youta drummed his fingers against the wall, wondering if his tempo would make time go any faster.

"Feeling nervous?" his sister, Airi, asked standing beside him. She reached out, her hand covering his and bringing the small noises to a stop. "You didn't have to come here with me, Nii-san. I'm glad you did, but if it's working you up this much, maybe it's better if we go back…"

Youta chuckled at the words. "It's a bit too late for that, huh?" he said, shaking his head. He tied his fingers in with hers, giving them a squeeze that he meant as reassurance. "Besides, Mom and Dad would never agree to that. And I'm really only here for you anyways, so it doesn't matter if I'm nervous. Just focus on being happy, alright?"

Airi frowned, but Youta could tell she was happy at his words. Her frowns never lasted long, after all. "Thank you for doing this for me, Nii-san. It does mean a lot that you're willing to come here with me. Nii-san. If we work together like always, I'm sure everything will be fine." Sure enough, Airi smiled, and Youta smiled back.

"Watanabe-san, Watanabe-kun, would you come in please?" the teacher's voice called from inside of the room. Airi turned her head towards the voice, and Youta gave her fingers another squeeze.

"You make it sound like such a big deal," he chided, pulling at her cheek with his free hand. Airi brought a hand up to her face, rubbing at the now red skin. "I'm your brother, of course I'm gonna take care of you, Ai-chan. Now come on, we've got a class to introduce ourselves to." Youta pulled his hand away from Airi's, then stepped into the classroom. His sister's footsteps were right behind him, almost perfectly on his heels.

Youta came to a halt in front of the classroom, holding out a hand to stop Airi before she bumped into him. Already he could see the looks on their faces, see the words shaping on their mouths in the form of whispers. Airi didn't seem to mind and only adjusted to properly face the rest of the class. Already, their desks were open, side by side, in the front row, just waiting for them to sit down.

"Would you care to introduce yourselves?" the sensei prompted. Right, that had to come first. Why did they have to be singled out again? It was only the beginning of the school year. There was no need to make the new kids stand out any more than they already would.

It didn't bother Airi, but it certainly bothered her brother.

Youta straightened his back and projected his voice across the room, making everyone focus on him instead. "My name is Watanabe Youta," he said, not hesitating. "I am sixteen years old and I formerly attended a school in Sendai. Before you ask, I'm the older twin. Please treat me kindly." He executed a curt bow, which Airi chose as her cue to speak.

"My name is Watanabe Airi," she said, her voice much more relaxed than her brother's had been. "As you may have guessed, I am legally blind, but I don't wish for that to affect my schooling. Please don't feel as if you need to think of me any differently because of this. I hope that we can all get along well."

Airi executed her bow, and Youta led her to her seat as the classroom exploded in unrestrained whispers.

* * *

There was something unnerving about how easy the transition had been between schools had been, especially with how difficult things had been the last couple of years. They had gained permission beforehand to study together, Airi and Youta's desks pushed together as a permanent fixture in the classroom.

That much hadn't changed with the transfer into Seirin, and Youta dutifully took notes during classes with the occasional guidance from his sister. That night, they would go home and he would read out the notes to her, then make a coordinated attempt at homework, guiding her hand to make straight lines while she wrote.

It was the same chaotic mix of lifestyle as it had been before, except it was somehow easier. Maybe he had just gotten used to it.

"Ah, damn."

Even routines had moments were you faltered, though. While the siblings had worked together to make their lunch last night, Youta had forgotten to pack them in with their school things that morning. Airi tilted her head at her brother, slid her hands over their connected desks, and smiled. "The bento are still at home, aren't they?" she asked.

Youta scratched the back of his head, wondering if she would still pick up on the gesture or not. It was hard to tell just how much of the world she could still see, how much she remembered from when she kept her eyes open. "Yeah, sorry," he said. "I'll run down to the school store and pick something up for us, alright?"

"Couldn't we just go to the cafeteria—ah, you don't feel like having all those people around to bother me, huh?" Airi picked up on his discomfort easily. Youta shifted in his seat; he hadn't wanted her to know that, even if he did hate having people constantly ask the same questions. "I really don't mind, Nii-san, but if that's what you want, it's fine. Would you like me to come with you?"

"It'll only take a few minutes, don't worry."

Airi reached down to her bag. "At least take my wallet to pay for my share," she said.

Youta shook his head out of habit, and his sister stopped. "No way, I got it. Sheesh, I'm being chivalrous here, just let me have a moment."

Airi pouted for a moment before giggling. "Alright, Nii-san, you win. But I'll pay for everything the next time we go out, alright? We do get the same allowance, after all. It's not as if money is so much as an issue that I can't afford lunch."

"Yeah, yeah, fine." Youta stood up, ruffling Airi's hair before walking away. "I'm heading out now, Ai-chan. I'll be back soon."

"See you soon, Nii-san."

It was almost disturbing how easily she could still use that word. Youta was glad he wasn't next to her anymore, if only for the fact that she wouldn't be able to sense her discomfort. That was as far as the feeling went, though, a tight coil forming in the bottom of his stomach. Even though Airi was able to handle most things on her own, leaving her alone was an idea he could never find a way to properly justify.

Once he was mixed in with the rest of the students, Youta ran down the halls with only the hope that he wouldn't get caught.

* * *

To say there was a commotion in classroom 2-B would be an understatement.

A number of students had remained behind in the classroom, despite meaning to get lunch in the cafeteria. Even those that had brought lunch from home left their food untouched, wasting away the precious minutes of their lunch period otherwise. A few students from other classes had gathered in the doorway, trying to catch a glimpse of what the rumors said was there, only to have their view blocked by the already clustering students around a certain desk.

Watanabe Airi was in the middle, already being bombarded by questions.

"So you used to live in Sendai, Watanabe-san?"

"What was your old school like? Why did you transfer?"

"Your brother seems like he's really nice. Does he have a girlfriend?"

"Are you two living on your own?"

While it was a common scene to be expected whenever a new student transferred in, it was still unusual. The fact that one student had gained so much attention from most of the class, as well as students from other classes, was strange enough. The obvious elephant in the room was also steadfastly being avoided, even though everyone wanted to ask.

Airi took the situation in stride, only pausing every now and then to confirm the voice of who was speaking. Yes, she had lived in Sendai, and had to admit she was going to miss the snow come wintertime. Her old school had been fine, and transferring had been her parents' idea. Youta did not have a girlfriend, and the twins were currently living on their own until their parents completed moving the rest of the necessary affairs down to their new city.

The questions came just as steadily as her answers, and it was only when there was a lull in the former, Airi chose to speak without being addressed first.

"Everyone, can I ask you a favor?" she said, bringing the scatter of mutterings and whispers to a close. "I understand that maybe I should have made this a little bit clearer in my introduction, but I don't think bringing it up now is a problem. I understand you are all trying to be kind by not asking about my eyesight, but don't think I will be offended by simple questions. It _is_ part of who I am. Don't feel as if you need to jump hoops around it."

The silence remained for a few moments, the class trying to process the information. It was more commonly expected to not want a disability pointed out a few moments, the class trying to process the information. It was more commonly expected to not want a, especially since it could be considered to be rude. In opposition, Airi was making it sound as if she would be more offended if they were to be polite about it. While the class should have made an effort to at least refuse the offer, curiosity often wins out over politeness.

"Do you braid your hair or does your brother?" one of the girls asked. While it didn't automatically register as a question about her eyesight to most, they could still see how it related. Two braids were present, and Airi only smiled at the question.

"I do it myself," she said, reaching up to the small braid at the side of her head and starting to undo it. Once the hair was free, she separated it back into three parts and started to redo it. "Braiding is something you can accomplish with only a sense of touch, so I find it rather simple to take care of." She finished the act at the end of her sentence, tying it off with a small hairband.

The question seemed to relinquish any misgivings from the rest of the class, and they all tried to find more tasteful ways to word the questions they had been mulling over for the first half of the lunch period. The first one that succeeded was a boy. "So are the rest of your senses, like, improved or something?"

Airi paused, a slight frown on her features. "Well, they aren't at the level I would like them to be. I can usually pick out people by the sound of their voice, and if I know a person well enough I can sometimes pick up on their emotions and actions. However, my sense of touch is about average, I'd say, though I guess I have better dexterity than most. If you were looking for something impressive, I guess you could say I'm good at figuring out my surroundings by hearing how many people there are around me."

"Really? So can you tell how many of us there are here?"

"I'm not really good at exact numbers when there are so many people clustered around me like this," Airi admitted. A few of the students looked around the room, as if just now realizing the sheer amount of people that had surrounded Airi's desk. "But I can at least get a general idea of where people are when they talk to me. Although I have been wondering…

"Just who is that over there? Unlike everyone else, they haven't said a word the entire time and I don't think I've been introduced to them…"

Airi pointed, and everyone's eyes followed the direction. She never got an answer, though, as the students were too busy panicking over the boy that they hadn't realized had been standing right next to them.

Kuroko Tetsuya finished stretching, picked up a basketball, dribbled it a few times, then took the shot. The ball bounced off the backboard, The ball bounced off the back ng, picked up a basketball, dribbled it a few times, then took the shot. The ball bounced off thbut still landed inside the basket. Just as Tetsuya was about to recover the ball, his friend and partner Kagami stepped forward, catching the ball effortlessly. The redhead passed it back, and Tetsuya took the ball in his hands, feeling the texture underneath his fingers.

"What's on your mind?" Kagami asked, picking up on his friend's contemplative nature. Tetsuya looked up to him, still surprised at how easily it had become for Kagami to read him. Although they had grown closer over the past year, it was still something completely different from what he had experienced at Teiko.

"The new students in our class," Tetsuya admitted. Kagami raised a split eyebrow at him. "I was just caught off guard. Watanabe-san picked up on my presence even though she wasn't able to see me…" Tetsuya was used to going unnoticed. Being noticed without being prompted wasn't something he knew how to handle.

It almost made him uncomfortable. No, it _did_ make him uncomfortable; there was no other word for it. While he had formed friendships with his new team over the past year, even the members of the Seirin High School Basketball Club didn't notice him all the time. To be picked up on effortlessly by a complete stranger… the shield of invisibility that he used as a comfort zone had been instantly shattered to the point that he had fled soon after Watanabe-san had asked about him.

"She did? That's impressive. Pass," Kagami said, clearly unconcerned. Tetsuya couldn't find the right words to describe his feelings to his partner and passed the ball to him instead. Kagami didn't bother to warm up, taking a few steps before setting off into one of his incredible jumps, dunking the ball in the basket.

The force rattled the backboard a bit, and Kagami landed back on the floor with a sound that echoed throughout the gymnasium. Tetsuya was proud of his partner for the progress the taller male had made, but still felt some distance between them. It was something that didn't hinder their partnership, merely the fact that Tetsuya would never be able to understand the experience that Kagami had as he flew through the air.

In the same way, Kagami could never experience what it would be like to be as invisible as Tetsuya was. That meant that the problem was something he couldn't understand, either.

Tetsuya decided to let it go for now. He was more overreacting than anything. If the problem was that he had been forced out of his comfort zone, then that was a good thing. He even had a problem sometimes with how people never seemed to see him. If someone could "see" him—even if it was without really _seeing_ him—he shouldn't be complaining.

The thought didn't completely eliminate his concerns, but it at least forced him to not focus on it so much. The sharp sound of a whistle echoing throughout the gym was also helpful.

"Alright, all new and aspiring members, line up!" Aida Riko called, shepherding the existing club members behind her. While the first years scrambled into a line, the coach gave Kagami a look that snapped the boy to attention. "And don't go jumping all over the place first thing, Bakagami. Not only do you need to stay in top shape you shouldn't be showing off your skills in front of the people you'll be playing in practice matches soon."

Kagami muttered an apology while Aida called the potential members to attention, followed by a subsequent order for them to take off their shirts.

The same clamor as last year broke out, making Tetsuya feel nostalgic. Once the hubbub died down, Aida began her evaluations, calling out flaws and methods for improvement in the new students by just glancing at them. Behind Tetsuya, Hyuga chuckled.

"She's really getting into it this year," the captain commented, smiling. He was scanning over the first years in his own way, seeing what new additions would be made to his team. Tetsuya wondered how the new players would adapt to his style, and Kagami was impatiently bouncing on his heels.

"That doesn't mean she has to yell at me for just warming up," the redhead commented. "I wasn't even _trying_ to jump that high, just enough for a dunk." He sighed. "To be honest, at this point I'm starting to not even need to put effort to get high enough to do it…"

"That just means you're going to have to train harder to control it before Riko notices." The threat of extra practice to control his ability was enough to make Kagami shudder. Hyuga laughed. "Though I don't know what she's trying to do, keeping your powers a secret. I don't think there's a high school basketball player in the country that doesn't know what you can do."

"You should still be careful, Kagami-kun," Tetsuya said. "If you overwork yourself then you won't be able to play." It was meant as a friendly reminder, but Tetsuya was still concerned. The threat of exceeding his limits was just as possible for Kagami as it was for the rest of the Generation of Miracles.

Kagami only took the words as prompting to think. "So that means…" he muttered, starting to get lost in thought, "that I need to get used to jumping less…? No, more like jumping shorter… controlling when…" His words trailed off, starting to become unintelligible. Aida finished up her assessments, drawing all conversation to a stop with a blow of her whistle.

Tetsuya joined the lineup, preparing for preliminary exercises to break the first years in. They were old movements, familiar to him, leaving the boy plenty of time to think as his body went through the motions.

If Kagami's solution to his problem was that he needed to get used to jumping less, why couldn't the solution to Tetsuya's problem be getting used to being seen more?

* * *

Well, this isn't the story I expected to be posting. Even so, I like it. Think of it as something in celebration of the new CD and opening single which is amazing.

I liked the idea of putting together someone who couldn't see with someone who can't be seen, like Tetsuya. Thus, this story was born. Putting aside the manga, this story takes place in Tetsuya's second year of high school and assumes that Seirin wins the Winter Cup final match against Rakuzan.

I wonder if the sections in this seemed to be paced strangely... Regardless, I hope anyone who decides to take the time to read this enjoys it, at least a little.

Next time, a lunchtime meeting, a basketball practice, and a certain not-hazing basketball club initiation look forward to it!


	2. Chapter 02: Viewpoint

**Visibility**

By: Aviantei

Chapter 02: Viewpoint

* * *

If Watanabe Airi were to describe the world as she saw it to someone that _could_ see, she would have to wonder if they would understand what she meant. After all, the world was just a series of blurs, some of them that could be focused on and made into clearer images, depending on how well Youta described them. Other than that, it was a matter of using sounds and the rest of her senses to "see" the world around her, or at least give her a general idea of what her surroundings would look like to someone that could properly see.

Thankfully, the classroom had died down after one day of the new students' arrival, giving Airi some peace and quiet while she ate the lunch her and her brother had put together the previous night. Airi could handle a little bit of excitement as well as the next person, but things became a little unnerving if there were so many people around her, clouding her already inaccurate vision. It was much nicer to be able to eat away at her bento of leftovers and fresh rice, only the odd classmate to come up and introduce themselves because they had been missing from the previous day's hubbub.

Youta bridged the gap unlike anyone else did, stepping into conversations and describing the people to his sister, giving her a mental "face" to match up with a name, a voice, some gestures. It helped her experience the world better, like how Youta was able to help out with schoolwork so Airi wouldn't have to attend a school that specialized in teaching kids like her. While she wasn't ashamed of her disability in anyway, but she didn't want to be defined or restricted in what she could do with herself because of it.

Halfway through a bite of egg that Airi decided she had to do _something_ about her brother letting her get away with cooking and eating things that didn't end up tasting any good, Airi tilted her head up. She was sure there was a person there, but every now and then their presence seemed fuzzy, like they were trying to avoid being noticed. At the very least, standing at the front of the classroom as a rather odd way to accomplish that, if it was even the person's goal in the first place.

"Ah, I don't think I recognize this person," Airi said choosing her words carefully. Youta was called to attention in an instant, forever attentive to his sister's needs. "I know I've talked to you, but I might have forgotten your name. I'm sorry if I've forgotten it, but I have the feeling we haven't been introduced to each other properly yet. Correct me if I'm wrong, though."

"Hey, Ai-chan, who you talk—oh," Youta sounded confused, but shifted, almost like he hadn't realized the person in question was there in the first place. A few gestures later that showed he had regained his composure, the older Watanabe sibling set out to give his usual report. "Male, about average height, light blue hair, kept short, eyes the same color and… I'm not certain how to describe them, but they've certainly got an interesting shape."

Whether the newcomer was offended about being described in such a way, he didn't show it. "I'm Kuroko Tetsuya," he said, voice completely calm. It was soothing, almost like a lullaby and a librarian rolled into one sound. "I was wondering if I could eat lunch with you to make up for leaving so quickly after you tried to talk with me yesterday."

"Ah, that was you!" Airi said, smiling in recognition. Suddenly the blank spot in her memory was filled, the hole that mad been missing the impression of a person now gone. Sure, she couldn't remember all of her new classmates in exact detail, but at least now she had names for the presences that had surrounded her. She would just have to learn their faces over time. "There's no need to apologize, I'm sure I startled you. It's nice to meet you, Kuroko-san, please feel free to eat with us."

Youta made a disgruntled gesture to the side, but Airi let it pass. His overprotective nature was showing again, and he would just have to get over it. It was annoying at times that the person that heard the most about how she hated to be given special treatment was the one that most needed to learn that she was simply not a doll that could be broken apart so easily.

"Thank you very much," Tetsuya said. There was the scuffle of desks as he and Youta worked together, a seat for Tetsuya now sitting on the other end of the Watanabe twins' side by side desks. A bento and chopsticks clattered as the newly arrived boy began to eat his lunch. "I still feel like I should apologize for leaving so suddenly yesterday. I'm just not used to being noticed by people so easily and…"

Youta's animosity was seeping off him in waves, causing Tetsuya to fall silent. Airi chose to step in before they scared their new lunch mate away without even giving him the chance to eat first. "Well, I tend to be good at noticing things that other people don't, mainly because I _can't_ see," she said. She couldn't have been certain, but she was almost sure that Tetsuya had blinked. "Since my view of the world is based on completely different things than others', what's normal to me may be obscure to you. I should be apologizing for startling you so much."

Airi could tell Tetsuya was probably shocked, not expecting her casual tone. Youta was frowning beside her, in clear distaste of how she brought it up, on how she made it obvious. In her quest to not being treated different for it, she wanted people to recognize it. It was a part of her, like the color of her hair, or how she dressed. Youta absolutely hated that.

In fact, her brother was staring down the newcomer with such an intensity that Airi could even feel it, despite the fact that it wasn't directed towards her. She nudged her brother lightly beneath the desk, frowning when she was certain he had looked her way. Why was it that boys always took things like "look after your sister" as an excuse to be jerks to all the other males around them?

"What do you mean that you're not used to being noticed by people?" Youta asked. He masked his annoyance well, but Airi could still feel it. Not wanting to make a scene, she kept the observation to herself, scooping more of her rice into her mouth. "You'd think that with hair like that you'd stick out like a sore thumb."

Whether or not Tetsuya gauged the tension, Airi couldn't be certain. He still replied in that calm voice of his, and was surprisingly in agreement with Youta's analysis. "I used to think so, too, as a kid," he said. "But in the end I just ended up being a person whose presence nobody noticed. If I put myself out there, people will see me, but not usually until then, unless they're used to me." The sound of taking a drink interrupted Tetsuya's words. "You didn't notice me either, Watanabe-kun, so I think you understand what I mean."

Airi suppressed a giggle in her vegetables, Youta scoffing as he began to devour his own bento. Airi briefly wondered if _that_ was how he suffered through her sub-par cooking: by not tasting any of it. Knowing that her brother would have plenty of things to say once he had enough time to think about it, she stepped up to the metaphorical verbal plate.

"So, Kuroko-san, are you in any clubs?" she asked. "I was actually wondering what types of club they had here so I could hopefully find one to join. I understand that my selection criteria are going to be different from others, but if you could help at all, it would be greatly appreciated." Airi hadn't been able to participate in club activities since elementary school, and she had found out she missed the activity in the past few years.

Tetsuya seemed to hesitate before answering. "Well, I know it may not be what you're looking for, but I am in the basketball club," he said. There was a clatter of chopsticks falling against the desk from Airi's side.

"Hold on," Youta said, a serious note entering his voice. It wasn't done out of rudeness, but Airi could hear the change and felt concerned for it. "You're telling me that you're in this school's basketball club." A moment of silence where Airi guessed a nod had been placed. "And you played last year at that."

"I was on the starting lineup."

Youta made a large movement, but it was too sudden for Airi to figure out what it was. "Agh, you gotta be kidding me! A guy like you's part of the team that won the Winter Cup last year? Why don't you seem more famous, then? Your lack of presence seems to be something that works against you in this case, Kuroko."

"You may think so but it's actually better this way."

"Um," Airi said, speaking up for the first time since she had asked her initial question. It was completely accurate to say that at this point she was completely lost, detached from the conversation thread that she had started, to boot! "I understand that this is something interesting, but you know I don't really follow sports, Nii-san. Care to tell me what the Winter Cup is?"

"Yeah, that's right," Youta said, more to himself than anything. "I thought I might have mentioned it to you whenever I was checking out the stats in December, but I guess not. The Winter Cup is one of the three most important high school basketball tournaments in Japan. The Seirin basketball club ended up taking place in winter even after their second year of founding, beating out the top schools. It was a real surprise, I'll tell you that!"

"Thank you for your praise," Tetsuya said. Airi wasn't sure, but she could have sworn that he sounded a little bit happier when he said that. It was hard to tell, because there was something else in his voice that threw her off. He didn't say anything else, either, so she couldn't confirm her suspicions.

Airi put on a smile, pushing the strange tone of voice out of her mind. "That's really amazing!" she exclaimed, meaning every word of it. "The fact that you won on a national level must mean that you're all really talented, right?"

"Well, it's more like we worked hard for it."

"Being able to work hard to achieve something without giving up is a talent in itself," Airi said sagely. The words were more than a bit corny, but she believed them to be true. "With that in mind, I bet that your teammates are all very dedicated and used that to become excellent players. Not many people can say that they're on a national championship team."

There was a silence that Airi couldn't account for. Youta was neutral, which was a nice change, and the blind girl didn't know her classmate well enough to figure out how he was feeling. Other than his presence, Tetsuya was just _there_. She knew that much for sure.

"I guess it is something to be proud of," Tetsuya finally said, relieving Airi's nerves considerably. It wasn't until he had spoken up that she realized she had been afraid of having said something wrong. "If you want to, you could come and watch us practice until you find a club to join."

There it was, and the atmosphere changed. Tetsuya fell silent, probably due to Youta glaring daggers at him. There were a few instances where she could hear her classmate trying to speak, but not getting very far. Whatever form of apology he meant to say was lost before it could make it off his lips.

Airi smiled, probably providing the exact opposite of her brother's expression to Tetsuya. "I'd like that," she said. "I admit that I don't know much about sports, but I'm certain I could learn the rules well enough that if Nii-san described what was going on to be, I'd have an idea of what the games look like. Since Nii-san seems to already have a handle on basketball, I'm sure it won't be too difficult to pick up on."

Both of the males were quiet. Even Youta, who usually took any opportunity to be useful to Airi, didn't say a word. Airi could feel her expression slipping, even her genuine excitement being damped by the mood at the cluster of desks.

"I'm sorry," Tetsuya managed, his voice quieter than it had been. Airi allowed herself to frown, disappointed. She had been hoping for something better than the usual awkward silence that she got from most people once words regarding vision were brought up.

"Please don't feel the need to apologize." Youta made a disgruntled noise at Airi's side, providing a direct contradiction to her words. They were going to have to talk about this later, but the younger twin certainly wasn't in the mood to start a scene in front of the class. "I understand that I'm blind very well, Kuroko-san, I don't need you to point it out by treating me any differently. I believe I mentioned that in my class introduction. I know it may seem like a strange thing to do around someone who can't see, but I take no offense to the use of words and phrases that include 'looking' and 'seeing'. They're part of the Japanese language for a reason." She realized the hard tone she had been sing and made herself relax. "But if it makes you feel any better Kuroko-san, I do happen to accept your apology. Just understand that there are ways I don't mind you accounting for my disability, but feeling like you're going to hurt my feelings by bringing up something I can't do won't help. I'd really appreciate it if we could become friends who don't have to worry about such things."

The tension relaxed a little, Tetsuya seeming to feel better. The fact that he had been lectured seemed to make Youta satisfied for now, and Airi could tell he was relaxing as well. Peace had been restored, and everyone seemed to settle back into a grove of normalcy. Putting her trust into reading others, Airi took a shot in the dark.

"You really should smile more, Kuroko-san."

The lack of denial let Airi know she had been right. Youta seemed smugly satisfied as usually happened whenever Airi was able to pick up on something, surprising others.

"Now, as we were discussing, do you have practice today?" Airi asked.

"Yes, we do," Tetsuya confirmed. "If you have something else to do, you don't have to come right away. This is short notice, but I don't think the coach will mind if I introduce you to her. Although she may try and recruit you because of your height, Watanabe-kun."

Youta blinked in surprise, not expecting himself to be dragged into the conversation. "I'm flattered by your coach's theoretical offer, but no can do. I need to help out Airi, so I gotta join whatever club she's in, if she picks one."

Airi frowned. "If you want to join a club without me I'll do just fine, Nii-san," she said. "But speaking of clubs, what other types of clubs are available here? I'd definitely like to see what all there is to offer before I go making any rash decisions."

"That depends on what you like," Tetsuya said. "Since the school was only founded two years ago, there's all the expected choices, but you can always form a new club if necessary…"

"No, no, I don't think that's something I'm ready to handle. I believe I'll just stick to researching and watching the famous Basketball Club until I find something suitable…"

* * *

Walking into the gymnasium, Youta kept his mouth shut, letting Airi get her bearings first. While the boy had gotten quite good at being able to give descriptors for just about anything at a glance—a person's height, the dimensions of a room, the number of people in a crowded area—Airi was equally good at figuring out those things without any other prompting than what she could hear and otherwise. Together, Youta felt as if they put together a good enough picture of the world for her, like she could still see. He couldn't know that for sure, since he couldn't read his sister's mind, but Airi seemed satisfied enough with the visions they put together as a team. That was good enough for now.

He wondered how she did it. There were times when he would enter a room, try to figure it out by instinct, but he always missed something. Airi could tell where things were and find people without the other party saying anything. The best Youta could do was conjure up a memory of what the place had looked like the last time he had seen it, and sometimes he got nothing at all.

In a way, Airi was a genius.

The thought was cut off as Youta started recognizing faces of the people who were currently on the court. Hyuga Junpei, Kagami Taiga, Izuki Shun, Mitobe, Koganei, Tsuchida—the entire championship lineup including the other three second years whose names Youta never bothered to learn because they never seemed to step foot on the court. They were all warming up in front of him, like some sort of dream. It took Youta a moment to remember that he was supposed to be letting Airi know what was happening, and turned to his younger sister.

"Oh, are you two the Watanabe twins that Kuroko was talking about?" a voice asked. Youta recognized the person immediately, but couldn't get the words out. "It's nice to meet you two. I'm Aida Riko, the team's coach." Aida smiled, and Airi seemed to recover first.

"It's nice to meet you, I'm Watanabe Airi," she said. Airi dipped into a bow. Youta took the hint and bowed himself.

"Watanabe Youta. It's nice to meet you," he said, completing the formalities. "Thanks for letting us sit in on your practice. It's a great honor to be able to see the winners of the Winter Cup in their home turf."

Aida was beaming, her expression showing off the pride in her team's accomplishment. "Well, it's not like we can just slack off or anything just because we won a tournament!" she said. "We've gotta work extra hard so that we can do even better this year! Not to mention we need to whip these new first years into shape! Though you picked a good day to come in, we're going to be running a practice match so that'll be more exciting than drills."

"I'm sure anything will be interesting if you put enough enthusiasm into it," Airi said. "I really am impressed, though. Not only do you take a title so quickly, you have a coach that's become so accomplished at such a young age…" Airi seemed to pause, but Youta couldn't tell what she was thinking. He was no good at reading people, either, even if the target was his own sister. "Oh, would it be alright if I had Nii-san describe you to me?"

"Sure."

Even though the question was sudden, Aida didn't seem to be caught off guard in the slightest. Whether this was because she was perceptive enough to pick up on the situation or Kuroko had already told his team about Airi's circumstances, Youta decided that it didn't matter. He instead looked over the coach—in real life in front of him and not just some magazine article—taking notice of what Airi needed to distinguish Aida in her mind from everyone else.

"Ah, she's a bit shorter than you, has reddish hair," he started. "She's got some hairclips to pull her bangs to the left, kind of like yours, and her eyes are a bit brown. Oh, and she picked out the blue sweater for her uniform." The only thing left for him to comment on as a descriptor would be her bust size, but Youta decided it was best to keep that information to himself. Most girls didn't take well to a guy spouting off their measurements like it was the weather report, especially when they were in the smaller range. "Is that enough for you, Ai-chan?"

Airi nodded slowly, processing the information. Youta wondered what the image in her head was like, if it was anything like the person in front of them.

"That's enough," Airi confirmed. She seemed a bit worried for a moment, then smiled. "Although I wasn't expecting the coach to still be in high school. You're even more accomplished then I imagined, Aida-san."

"Oh, well, I was kind of raised for this, so it's no big deal," Aida commented. She may not have meant to, but Youta realized her sentence could also be interpreted as _I coached a team into the national level championships like it was nothing._ The less egotistical _I've been training for something like this for a long time_ was more likely. The young coach was even blushing at the praise. "Ah, damn, look at the time! I gotta get these guys started on warm ups. You guys relax on the sidelines, alright?" And with that she was running off, blowing her whistle and shouting orders.

Airi laughed happily. "She's certainly lively."

"Yeah," Youta said. "Come on, let's get seated." A few seats were pulled out, as if waiting for them. If he was wrong, Youta figured moving around wouldn't be a big issue. He escorted Airi into a chair and sat beside her, describing the club members in terms of descriptions and stats he remembered from magazines again. Every now and then he would have to pause to explain how certain positions and plays worked, filling in Airi's lack of knowledge of the game.

The only thing that gave him trouble was accounting for the faces he didn't recognize. The number of first years coming into the team had to have doubled since last year, probably drawn in by the chance of playing on the championship team.

Airi wanted to know everything, which was a daunting task. It was hard enough trying to catch her up with the rules of basketball when she was constantly asking for descriptions of people or their warm-up exercises, or the explanation for sudden noises coming from either the club members or something outside. It had been a while since Youta had needed to try so hard to keep up with his sister's requests, almost like having to keep a little kid's attention at a carnival.

With another blow of Aida's whistle, which Youta found himself still going to attention at the sound, the practice game was announced. In order to properly give all of the first years a chance to try and play, it was decided that halfway through the game the teams would switch out entirely, aside from a few second year players, one of which included Kagami Taiga.

For a few minutes Youta forgot to think as he watched the redhead step out onto the field, almost jumping out of the urge to play. It was only Aida's whistle that pulled Youta back to reality, reminding him to at least try and keep up with the pace of the game for Airi's sake. She at least seemed to appreciate his efforts, even if he obviously wasn't getting everything he should be saying.

Almost as if to make it easier on him, she asked, "What's Kuroko-san doing?"

"Um, well…" Youta looked around the sidelines, not seeing their mutual classmate anywhere. He could have sworn that Kuroko had gone to practice, seen him somewhere, heard Aida call his name. "I don't know. He's not on the court, and I don't see him on the sidelines. Maybe something came up and he had to go home?"

Airi frowned—not too much, just a little that told that she was mildly disappointed. Youta didn't know to describe it, but after that it was like she zoned out, didn't pay attention to anything, except he knew that wasn't the case. Whatever Airi did when she got like this, it was what let her understand the world in whichever way she did. Whenever she was done, she looked a little bit more confused.

"No, he's here, I'm sure… Can you try looking around again?"

Youta suppressed a sigh, taking another look around the gym. He even checked for a third time, just to say he had put in the effort. No matter how many times he checked, Kuroko just wasn't there.

Youta spent the rest of the practice wondering why one team only had four members to it when the other was fully stocked and had Kagami on its side. It was almost unfair. Despite the disadvantage, the final scores were almost a tie.

* * *

Youta's kind of useless at noticing Tetsuya... I kind feel bad for him because of this...

But wow! A super huge thanks to an unnamed Guest, Seithr-Kairy, AngelHeartObsession, soubi12, koreanlover21873, Xxdreamergirl95xX, Spiritless Soul, Naenia99, KT-Desu, SilverStar56, sin kx, BlackWhiteDarkness, and InvisibleGoldStar for each of your respective reviews, favorites, and follows! Each and every one of these means a lot to me! I'm especially impressed by how much response this got even though it's only been out a few days, too...

One of the challenges with Airi's POV sections is describing things without visually describing them. Airi's perception of the world makes this a tiny bit easier... but not by much. I'm trying my best to work it out, though. If I happen to make any slip ups, I'd like to be pointed out to those...

I originally had another section written for this chapter, but it flowed better with chapter three, so you'll have to see it then. Sorry about that. ^^"

Also I try to make my stories flow organically, so all apologies if things move a bit slow before the main plot arc kicks in. I hope that what I write is enough for your enjoyment until we get that far.

Next time, a certain basketball club not-hazing ritual, story time, and a discussion on some of the practical manners of medical treatment. Please look forward to it!


	3. Chapter 03: Ambition

**Visibility**

By: Aviantei

Chapter 03: Ambition

* * *

"Is it really that strange that I can pick out your presence so easily?" Airi asked, politely holding back her laughter. Standing beside her and waiting for the morning assembly, Tetsuya shifted a bit uncomfortably which was apparently enough for her to catch onto. "I'd stop if I could, Kuroko-san, but I don't think that's something that I can do so easily. Trying to keep track of the world around me is almost habit now…" The fact that she kept her eyes closed all the time made it harder to tell what she was feeling, although Tetsuya knew she couldn't help it. She seemed very expressive otherwise, which filled the gap enough to be able to tell she felt worried about the situation.

"I'm not asking you to stop, Watanabe-san," he said. "It's more impressive than anything else, really. Even people who can… see have a hard time picking me out." The word felt wrong, but Airi seemed pleased enough by his use of it. "You mentioned that you don't have much knowledge of basketball so the fact that you can find me on a busy court among other players is really what's impressive…"

Tetsuya had been just as shocked as everybody else whenever Airi had begun to point out his actions on the field before Youta could take notice of them. In the few practices that had followed afterwards, she had continued to find Tetsuya's presence, somehow being able to pick him out regardless of the situation. After being directed by his sister, Youta seemed to be on the route to accomplishing the same thing, although his accuracy was much lower. At the very least, Tetsuya could still slip away from the older sibling's presence if need be, given the advantage that he could read Youta's eyes to do so.

"Impressive, huh?" Airi frowned slightly, an expression more associated with thinking more than anger on the girl. "I guess so, but it's really just paying attention to your surroundings. Once Youta began to tell me the plays people were making, I began to associate their rhythms on the court with their names. After I learned how everyone else worked, I realized that the tenth presence on the court had to be you. Although I felt a little silly for taking so long…"

Tetsuya blinked at this information. "Why's that?"

"Because in the end it was obviously you! I mean, Kuroko-san is very distinctive in a Kuroko-san way… like whenever you feel it, you know that it's Kuroko-san!" Airi smiled, a sheepish note mixed in with her expression. "Ah, I'm sorry; this really isn't making much sense at all, is it?" She let out a small peal of nervous laughter.

"No, it's fine, Watanabe-san. I think I understand what you mean." Although he couldn't understand exactly what she meant, he still got the general idea. At the very least he could understand the difficulty in trying to communicate about things no one else could notice. In the end, to her form of vision, there was something about him that stuck out.

Tetsuya felt a smile begin to form on the corners of his mouth.

"Speaking of you, though, Kuroko-san, you seem excited for something," Airi commented. "Did something good happen?"

Tetsuya hesitated for a moment, not sure if he should tell the truth or just wait until Airi would find the answer herself. In the end the answer was given for him, a strong shout dragging the entire student body's attention to the top of one of the buildings overlooking the assembly.

"I'm Yokoyama Masaso from class 1-C! My goal is to support the members of the Seirin Basketball Club to victory until the day I can fight on the court myself!"

The assembly around them went from a stunned silence to chatter in seconds, the new students wondering what was going on, everyone's eyes glued on the rooftop. The other trial members that Tetsuya had come to know over the past week presented themselves in a similar manner. Even though she couldn't see what was going on, Airi's head was tipped up to the rooftop, a smile on her face.

"What is this?" she asked, voice quieter than usual. It was a miracle that the students could hear anyone else considering the noise they were all making together.

"It's the club initiation," Tetsuya answered. "The coach makes everyone do it to prove they have enough resolve to be on the team." Airi nodded in understanding, refocusing on the roof. It was surprising to think that a year had already passed since he had stood up there, looking down on the entire school.

After the potential members finished their speeches, Aida took a step forward. Since his own initiation hadn't gone this far, Tetsuya was interested to see what would happen next. Aida spoke, her voice filling up the most space on the courtyard.

"We are the Seirin High School Basketball Club! Those who have introduced themselves today are the new members! We intend to work our hardest to maintain our position as champions and be a team worthy of everyone's support! Thank you all very much!"

Aida disappeared from the edge of the rooftop, probably trying to avoid being caught by any teachers. The assembly took no notice, erupting in cheers. It was debatable that the only two left not shouting at the top of their lungs were Tetsuya and the girl beside him that had turned to face him.

"So, did you do this?" Airi asked. Tetsuya nodded, prepared to explain what had happened, but was cut off by the call for the assembly to properly begin.

Despite that, he got the feeling that Airi had at least picked up on his non-verbal answer.

* * *

It never ceased to amaze Tetsuya just how excited Airi seemed to get over the little things. He hadn't been able to keep track of how she felt after the ceremony had started, something the attentive teen was unused to. After all the effort he had put into understanding people by what their eyes did in middle school, he was suddenly up against a person he couldn't read because she _didn't_ use her eyes. So if she had been disappointed by not being able to talk some more, Tetsuya wasn't the one to judge.

But she definitely was interested. Airi flagged Tetsuya over to the desk cluster that belonged to her and her brother. Youta was much simpler to read than his younger twin, and Tetsuya could tell the other boy was just barely containing his animosity. It brought into question if it was because Tetsuya was male or Youta just didn't like sharing his sister's affection.

"So what was your goal?" Airi asked before Tetsuya could even properly sit down in the chair he had pulled over. Youta paused in unwrapping the pair of bento boxes, looking to his sister and raising an eyebrow. Airi giggled. "Oh, I'm sorry, Nii-san. Kuroko-san and I were talking about the basketball club's initiation this morning and I got curious about what his goals were."

Airi's words gave Tetsuya the opportunity to sit himself and his lunch down, and Youta the time to resume distributing the bento. "Really?" Youta asked. It was almost disconcerting how interested he could sound whenever Tetsuya would have guess that he didn't care. Airi nodded picked up her chopsticks, clicking them together a few times. "I guess I'm curious, too. How'd a soft spoken guy like you manage to shout anything, let alone loud enough to make it so the whole assembly could hear you?"

"To be honest, I didn't," Tetsuya said. Youta smirked.

Airi rapidly attempted to swallow her food before speaking. She almost looked like she would choke. "Eh, why not?" she managed to ask in the end, leaning a bit forward across the table. Youta discreetly slid his sister's bento out of the way of her uniform.

"Well, I was going to. The coach was going to let me use a megaphone." Airi nodded in understanding, sitting back and crossing her arms as if in deep thought. "However, we were stopped by the teachers before I got to take my turn." Airi's lips parted but she didn't say anything. Tetsuya decided to continue. "Since we were supposed to do this to enter the club, I sort of…"

Now that he thought about it, his actions were a bit embarrassing. Tetsuya scratched at his cheek. "You sort of what?" Youta asked. Even though Airi couldn't look at him, Tetsuya got the impression that she was focusing in on him in her own special way.

"I snuck onto campus early in the morning and wrote out 'We will be the best in Japan,' on the schoolyard with the line drawer," Tetsuya said. Airi gasped, covering her mouth with the hand wielding her chopsticks to muffle the sound. Even Youta looked visibly impressed, which Tetsuya felt a small amount of pride in the fact.

Airi regained her composure, the position of her shoulders adjusting with the act. "And you didn't get in trouble at all?" she asked. Tetsuya shook his head before he could stop himself. "Wow. I understand that you're lacking in presence, Kuroko-san, but to not have anyone see you do something like that…"

"Not bad," Youta concluded. "I guess something like that was good enough to pass. At least you didn't give up on joining because you couldn't pull it off."

"I had no intentions to give up," Tetsuya asserted. The tone in his voice surprised even him; actively expressing self-confidence was an act more suited to others. "Joining the basketball team and working with my teammates to obtain something was very important to me. I feel very lucky that we were able to reach the goal we all wanted."

Airi was beaming, like she felt accomplished by just hearing the words. Since she didn't say anything, Tetsuya was at a loss for what she was thinking. Youta was busying himself by using devouring his own lunch as an excuse not to say anything.

"Is there a chance I could see your handwriting, Kuroko-san?" Airi asked. "I know it won't be a perfect matchup, but it would help me visualize what the scene looked like. If you don't mind."

Tetsuya was at a loss for words. Youta let out a heavy sigh, and Tetsuya just could tell the lack of enthusiasm for explaining it. "Get a notebook or a notepad or something," Youta instructed. "If you press down hard enough, she'll be able to feel the indents in the second page."

The idea hadn't even occurred to Tetsuya. Airi had already set her own lunch aside in favor of going through her desk. When she was done, there was a notebook being offered alongside a pencil, just waiting to be used. Tetsuya took the items from his classmate's hands and did as instructed.

He wasn't really sure how well this sort of thing would work. As a precaution, Tetsuya found himself retracing his letters several times, pressing the borrowed pencil increasingly harder against the surface. Still uncertain, he held the notebook back out, and Airi retrieved it with zero complications.

Her fingers lightly skimmed over the paper the first time, then went slower a second time. Youta didn't say anything and Tetsuya followed suit. Something like this probably required concentration and Tetsuya wasn't going to be one to break it. In about a minute, Airi went through the motions to return the book to storage, seemingly satisfied.

"I think his handwriting's almost neater than yours, Nii-san," she commented.

Youta scowled. "Whatever."

Tetsuya took the opportunity to finally open his own bento. "So what about you two?" he decided to ask before beginning to eat. "What sort of goals do the two of you have for yourselves?" Youta just glared. Tetsuya replicated the older twin's tactic of eating to avoid having to give a response. Airi, however, paused in the continuation her lunch to put her chopsticks down.

"My goal, huh…?" she said. "Well, above anything else, I think I'd like to live as close to a normal life as possible with my condition." Airi smiled a little, although the tilt of her eyebrows made it seem almost sad. "I don't like how people treat me different simply because I'm considered to be 'disabled.' I believe that if I work hard enough to be self-sufficient, others will be less likely to structure their actions around my condition, and more likely to respond to the kind of person I am."

She let out a small laugh, a mix of humor and something else that Tetsuya failed to identify before the sound disappeared. "That and I feel bad making Nii-san do so much work for me all the time. After all, he should be free to do what he wants without feeling like he's obligated to always stay by my side."

"Don't be ridiculous," Youta snapped. His volume was dangerously close to rising, and Tetsuya winced. Airi looked like she noticed it, too, but didn't say anything. Youta caught himself, lowering his volume and smoothing out his tone for his next words. "I mean… I don't mind doing any of that stuff for you, Ai-chan. If anything, I'd say that would be my goal."

Airi only sighed. Tetsuya took the proactive role. "What do you mean?"

"What I mean is this." Youta corrected his posture and placed a hand palm down on the desk in front of him. "If there's one thing I'm good at for certain, it's working my butt off to make Ai-chan's life easier. In fact, the only reason I bothered to attend high school is for her sake. If I can't stay by her side, then she'd have to go to some special school or not go at all.

"The first one is obviously out of the question since Ai-chan would never be able to stand that. It counteracts her goal. The second one would just be a waste. Ai-chan is super smart and way better at school than I am. So her missing out on the opportunity to further her education would be stupid. So if this is what I gotta do to make sure she gets to reach her goal, then it's fine with me."

Tetsuya could only nod through his mouthful of rice. Both of the Watanabe twins had provided much deeper answers than he had expected. In comparison, his own goals seemed to be something minor, something that could be overshadowed. After all, they were both thinking about the future, and Tetsuya had been so focused on recovering from his middle school life in order to move on.

_Even so, I don't think that makes it any less important._

Besides, there was something else that was bothering Tetsuya. Even though at first glance their goals seemed to work together, something seemed off. Even if he couldn't read Airi with absolute certainty, Tetsuya was confident that she wasn't overly content with Youta's words. As much as he wanted to ask, though, Tetsuya also had the distinct feeling that now wouldn't be the time to do so.

"See what I mean? Nii-san's a bit of a hopeless to convince otherwise," Airi said. She managed to laugh and smile. "You really do work hard for me, Nii-san, so I'd like to do something big for you every now and then." She took another bit of her lunch, grimaced, and swallowed. "Maybe I should start with properly learning how to make egg rolls; this is getting ridiculous."

"What are you talking about, it tastes fine," Youta retorted. To add emphasis, he took a rather large portion of the egg roll, consuming it without difficulty. "See? Delicious." Airi only winced again, letting out a heavy sigh as she reached for her juice box. Tetsuya was left to wonder if the food wasn't really that bad or Youta had just lost all sense in his taste buds.

* * *

Airi made her steps down the street, making sure to maintain a straight line as best as she could. Youta had been able to compile a route from their new home to the school that avoided any major traffic spots so as the make traveling safer. If he had had his way, they would be taking buses everywhere, but that wasn't something Airi had ever found interesting. It was much easier for her to enjoy traveling if she had better access to perceive the world around her.

Even so, she was cautious. While she knew when to take steps and turns, where to avoid potholes, Airi had yet to become entirely used to the route they had come to take home. It was harder using sounds in open spaces than inside buildings to keep track of her location, and there was always a chance she would miscount her steps. That wasn't a reason to give up, though. After all, it may not have been a route she would have been able to make on her own, but with Youta, it was possible.

It wasn't the first time she had thought about obtaining a cane to make traveling easier, even if she didn't like to admit it. It would be a benefit, but it would also be a way for people to take prejudice, unintentional as it could be. Not to mention, Youta was someone she could rely on, far more useful for looking at the world than any cane could ever hope to be.

"Ai-chan…" Youta said. He was keeping close to her side, within a radius less than arm's reach. Being this close let him move things out of the way, stop Airi if she was about to step somewhere dangerous, and let Airi keep tabs on his presence for cues of which direction they were going in. It also made it easier to hear the tone in Youta's voice, apprehensive for whatever else he was about to say.

"What is it, Nii-san?" Airi responded. She stopped, an outstretched arm brushing against the rough surface of an old telephone pole. They were at one of the few intersections their route took, one of the landmarks in Airi's mental world. Youta took on the duty of looking for cars while Airi listened for their motors. Once the path was deemed safe, Youta stepped forward, Airi taking the cue from his footsteps.

"About what we talked about today…" Youta never danced around his words like this. Airi knew what was coming before he even said it. "You know, you don't have to stay like this. There's still plenty of time before it's too late. You could still have the surgery."

_The surgery._ It was almost its own existence by now, with how often it was brought up. Youta treated it like it was some fix-all, some god. Airi always had a little twist of uneasiness in her stomach at the mention of it. The idea of getting her vision back, to see the same way she had as a child was something she had equal amounts of nervousness and longing for; a fairy tale ending that couldn't possibly exist.

"Come on, Nii-san, don't waste your energy worrying about things like that," she said, a light tone in her voice. This was what she needed to do whenever the topic got brought up, to prevent herself from breaking. "I'm fine. Even if we had the money for things like that, they'd need to go into the move, right?"

"What's it matter?" Youta's voice was a bit farther away than Airi had expected, and she followed him into the turn. The next time he spoke, the words were coming from the proper location. "I'd think that Mom and Dad would be okay with doing something that would benefit you. Besides, you wouldn't have to worry about things like having people treat you differently if you could see."

That much was true, but it didn't change the situation. Airi slipped into the serious tone she tried to avoid using towards her brother, just because it was necessary. "I'd rather money like that go into better things than tending to me. I've adjusted well enough these past few years, so by the time I'm completely blind I'll manage just fine." Youta remained silent, not presenting further argument. "Besides, surgery like that is _expensive_. Even if we came into some money suddenly, there's no guarantee there will be enough to pay for it, even with insurance."

"That still doesn't mean we shouldn't try," Youta grumbled. He adjusted, his school bag being held up over his shoulder. Airi knew he was dissatisfied, but couldn't go easy on him. She was content with the situation, so why waste the extra effort? Putting together the extra money would be too much for something so selfish. "Listen, Ai-chan, I've—"

"Been buying lottery tickets every day? I know," Airi responded. Youta was shocked enough that she just had to giggle. "You think I don't keep track of where your allowance goes? I know you try to pay for everything, but you always have a little bit less then you should have." Airi smiled, genuinely letting the expression come into existence. "If that's something you want to do for me, I'm grateful. But that's all you ever need to do for me, okay?"

Airi would have bet anything that Youta was scowling. Even so, he controlled the tone of his voice well. "Yeah, yeah. I still have enough money to get something good for dinner, so why don't we stop by the store on the way home? Better than pulling together what little we have at the house and trying to make something out of it."

Airi nodded. "That sounds good. As long as we stop by the house and change first. There's no need to wear our uniforms out so soon…" She sighed, not wanting to have to say the next choice of words. Even so, it was the one thing Airi didn't think she would ever get used to. "Would you help me pick out my clothes…? I haven't memorized everything new that I received at Christmas time so I need someone to make sure I don't dress like the way I see."

"Of course, Ai-chan," Youta answered. The request was enough to satisfy him, lifting up his mood from the previous conversation. Airi was glad. The only things she liked less than talking about the surgery was how serious Youta was about it and how sullen he could get whenever the conversation ended without ending in his favor. "So what do you think we should have for dinner tonight? Maybe some seafood? We haven't had any in a while, so it would be a nice change of pace."

"Sounds good, Nii-san." Airi hoped her brother was genuinely smiling as turned down the path that led to their front door.

* * *

Well, it looks like this story is the one that wants to be shared with everyone, so here it is!

A huge, _huge_ thanks to Marblelover, Kiku-pyon, AngelHeartObsession, Fairy Tail 77, alia03, CherryPop0120, ciarra halle, Yuuki-Hime 2097, Sora Rai, Aki Kurusu, Jacob Fern, Plexi Pink, MsReinvited, KiLLer-S-Queen, MikoSasesko, Painted Scales, yoshi-in-black, shygirl5817, via26, Hairclip, CloeGryffindor, and wildarms17 for your respective follows, favorites, and reviews! I'm shocked by the sheer number of you there are! I'm glad that everyone seems to be enjoying this story!

I'm a bit behind in some writing goals I'd like to accomplish, but rest assured that this story is on my list of priorities and I won't stop working on it! I'm actually super excited to finally get through enough writing to dedicate some time to the next chapter~

Next time, Airi has an encounter and Youta makes a declaration! please look forward to it!


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